Seminars

General Departmental Seminar Series

Identification of interactions between quantitative trait loci and other genome regions

Christina Kendziorski, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics

Friday, February 25, 2000, 12:00-1:00 pm

3285 MSC, 1300 University Avenue

ABSTRACT

In an effort to identify genes controlling complex or quantitative traits, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping methods have been developed and are being applied in numerous studies. QTL mapping involves constructing genetic maps and searching for a relationship between traits and polymorphic markers. Standard mapping methods basically involve the construction of a likelihood ratio test statistic to evaluate evidence for the presence of a single gene at (or near) a marker. The test statistic is evaluated at multiple points along the genome, generating a likelihood profile. Because of correlation between markers and thus test statistics, such methods can result in the identification of a relatively large area of the genome likely to contain a gene affecting the quantitative trait of interest. Therefore, following identification of a QTL via mapping, additional methods to further narrow down the region are required. One approach is to develop congenic lines, which are groups of animals expected to be genetically identical except at a small region near the QTL of interest. To develop such lines, it is useful to identify any genomic regions that may harbor genes which interact with the QTL. I will discuss how information from the likelihood profile obtained via QTL mapping can facilitate a generalized linear model approach to identify areas of the genome interacting with the QTL of interest. The method and its implications on the analysis of congenic line data will be illustrated in the context of a study of rat mammary cancer.

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